Java By Comparison

Automate Your Build

Some say that before you can run (write Java code in an IDE) you need to learn to walk (use the Java command-line tools). We think this is true for the complete build process of your software.

You might’ve written your first Java program in a simple text editor and used the command-line tool javac to compile your code and run it with the java command. This works as long things stay (very) simple. From our teaching experience, it also really helps beginners to get a grasp of the difference between source code and byte code.

But in any halfway realistic project, you’ll be using external libraries in the form of JARs (Java Archives), executing JUnit tests, and building JavaDoc-based documentation. If you want to do this only ...